Exclusive news and research on the wine, spirits and beer business

The Wine Group’s Super-Premium Chloe Collection Starts Strong

Launched this past spring, The Wine Group’s upscale-positioned Chloe Collection has had a promising start, and the company believes it has the potential to become a go-to still wine brand in the U.S. market for celebratory occasions.

Georgetta Dane, winemaker for the Chloe Collection ($16.99 a 750-ml.), tells SND the brand’s classic black-and-white packaging is geared toward weddings, birthdays and other celebratory gatherings. “It pops on the shelf, and we’ve found that it has great consumer recall,” she says, noting that 75% of consumers surveyed on Chloe said they would add it to their repertoire.

The name of the brand is also a familiar one to U.S. consumers—Chloe, which means “blooming” in Greek, has been among the top names for female newborns in the U.S. in recent years. The Wine Group has backed the launch with print and out-of-home initiatives, and is exploring plans to turn up the volume further in 2015.

For the first year, The Wine Group produced about 20,000 cases each of three Chloe variants, and Dane says the company is prepared to expand production markedly if the brand’s momentum continues. The line includes a Valdadige D.O.C. Pinot Grigio, a Sonoma County Chardonnay (of which 82% was sourced from the Russian River Valley) and a North Coast Red Blend—Red No. 249—composed of mainly Syrah, with Merlot, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Petit Verdot also in the mix.

Currently, the Pinot Grigio—a popular varietal in the summer months—is leading the way sales-wise, with the Chardonnay next. Dane says other classic varietals like Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon could be added to the Chloe Collection range looking ahead.